relationships between the tables are of essence, the data are produced in native database format or as a database backup file. Common issues A number of different people may be involved in an electronic discovery project: lawyers for both parties, forensic specialists, IT managers, and records managers, amongst others. Forensic examination often uses specialized terminology (for example "image" refers to the acquisition of digital media) which can lead to confusion. While attorneys involved in case litigation try their best to understand the companies and organization they represent, they may fail to understand the policies and practices that are in place in the company's IT department. As a result, some data may be destroyed after a legal hold has been issued by unknowing technicians performing their regular duties. To combat this trend, many companies are deploying software which properly preserves data across the network, preventing inadvertent data spoliation. Given the complexities of modern litigation and the wide variety of information systems on the market, electronic discovery often requires IT professionals from both the attorney's office (or vendor) and the parties to the litigation to communicate directly to address technology incompatibilities and agree on production formats. Failure to get expert advice from knowledgeable personnel often leads to additional time and unforeseen costs in acquiring new technology or adapting existing technologies to accommodate the collected data. Emerging trends Alternative collection methods Currently the two main approaches for identifying responsive material on custodian machines are: (1) where physical access to the organizations network is possible - agents are installed on each custodian machine which push large amounts of data for indexing across the network to one or more servers that have to be attached to the network or (2) for instances where it is impossible or impractical to attend the physical location of the custodian system - storage devices are attached to custodian machines (or company servers) and then each collection instance is manually deployed. In relation to the first approach there are several issues: In a typical collection process large volumes of data are transmitted across the network for indexing and this impacts normal business operations The indexing process is not 100% reliable in finding responsive material IT administrators are generally unhappy with the installation of agents on custodian machines The number of concurrent custodian machines that can be processed is severely limited due to the network bandwidth required New technology is able